Vol. 22 - No. 39
In This Week’s Edition
THE BERKELEY
TIMES
MICROMEDIAPUBS.COM
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| March 4, 2017
Berkeley Hopes For $800K Grant Daily Beach For Sports Field Projects Badge Costs $3 More In Berkeley –Photos by Catherine Galioto Township off icials have applied for $800,000 to convert an area of Veterans Park for year-round use.
By Catherine Galioto BERKELEY – Visitors to Berkeley’s South Seaside Park beach will pay more this year, as the daily beach fee for visitors 12 and up will rise from $5 a day to $8 a day. Township Administrator John Camera explained that what amounts to a 60 percent rise in daily badge rates was needed to help sustain the budget for beach operations, where revenues from beach badge sales are
Community News! Don’t miss what’s happening in your town. Pages 10-15.
Letters To The Editor Page 8.
From Your Government Officials
not meeting expenses. “We’re t r y i ng to sustain operations,” he said “We are still cheaper than the next town over.” Township Chief Financial Officer Fred Ebenau said beach operations cost about $110,000 each year, while the revenue is often around $90,000. Resident Maureen Hall, the only person to speak at the hearing for the beach badge ordinance, said the price for a family to access (Beach - See Page 4)
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Doctor Izzy “Healthy Hearing Calls For A Healthy Diet”
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Dear Pharmacist Page 19.
Inside The Law “Seeking Customers Who’ve Bought From These Websites”
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Dear Joel “Get Over It”
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Classified Ads Page 25.
Wolfgang Puck Page 31.
By Catherine Galioto BERKELEY – Berkeley will pursue a Green Acres grant for possible projects at Veterans Park and Eastern Boulevard, in efforts to upkeep and expand the f ields fo r ye a rround use, i nclu d i ng possibly installing new turf and striping it for multiple sports. The $800,000 grant application asks for the state funds for a field at Veterans Park, to convert it “to an all purpose surface field,” said May‑ or Carmen Amato. The township was required to have a public hearing
to solicit comments on what projects the township should apply for, and at the hearing the mayor mentioned that leading up to this idea were discussions and feedback from the leagues and organizations who use these fields. Off icials said that when the parks were built, they were used seasonally, but these days sports such as soccer, field hockey and lacrosse have meant expanded use of the township fields in order to sched‑ ule games and meet demand.
“For the first time a many years the NJDEP has opened up the green acres grant program,” said Amato. “We have submitted an application for funding of $800,000 to convert a field at Veterans Park to an all purpose surface field. This will assist the Township to han-
dle the volume of field requests we receive for football & soccer. The field will be lined for those two sports as well as lacrosse.” Though the application focuses on Veterans Park, the township is also looking at similar upgrades for the (Sports - See Page 4)
Town Honors NAACP Chapter
By Catherine Galioto BERKELEY – Berkeley Mayor and Council thanked the Toms River Area chapter of the NAACP for its efforts during Black History Month in and around Berkeley. In their com‑ ments, leaders from the chapter and local officials both mentioned the history of its Manitou neighborhood, a predominantly black (Honors - See Page 5)
County Buys Land For Preservation
By Chris Lundy OCEAN COUNTY – The Ocean Count y Freeholders want to purchase two tracts of land, about 40 acres total for $600,000, with the intention of keeping it free of development. The first parcel is in Little Egg Harbor. It’s identified as Block 126, Lots 10, 11, and parts of
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8.01. It will cost $440,000. There is a small portion of it that fronts onto Thomas Avenue, but most of it is in a wooded area. This is a 37 acre plot of land that would have been 12 residential lots, officials said. It was at one point called Deerfield Estates. The owner would have wanted a larger development
on the site. The owners originally wanted $2.2 million for it. However, after the housing market fell, and the fact that the property is not connected to township sewer lines, the number of homes possible shrank. So, it was up for sale again with a much lower price tag. (Land - See Page 5)
Michael T. Sutton, Manager • N.J. Lic. No. 4128 Benjamin “Matt” Wade, Advance Planning Director • N.J. Lic. No. 5028 David Kalinowski, Director • N.J. Lic. No. 3925 Steven J. Andrews, Director • N.J. Lic. No. 4435 “We are dedicated to exceeding expectations and delivering a standard of service that is 100% guaranteed.”